One of the toughest and most infuriating problems that a newborn baby can have is when they are constipated. Babies who have constipation will cry in pain and you will feel completely helpless while you try comfort your sad baby. You desperately try to think of ways to help ease your baby's pain. Well, maybe it is time to try sugar water to ease their constipation!
When is It Considered Constipation?
It is very uncommon for a healthy baby who is exclusively breastfed to have any type of constipation issues. Unless there is something wrong with the mother’s breast milk, their milk should provide the PERFECT formula to allow the child to receive the right amount of nutrients as well as allow them the correct amount liquid to keep them hydrated.
Breastfed babies typically have fewer bowel movements compared to babies who are being fed formula. In fact, many breastfed babies can go up to three days without pooping and it is completely normal. Some babies can even go longer!
When my son was only a few months old we were concerned about the lack of bowel movements. He was going WEEKS without out passing stool and yet the doctors just shrugged it off and told me that I shouldn’t worry. I DID worry, but apparently he wasn’t actually constipated!
If a baby is constipated then their poop will come out rock hard. Babies being fed mainly formula, or breastmilk will have almost pure liquid (resembling diarrhea) poop. If the poop comes out thick, or like a brick, then that is a sure sign that your child may be constipated.
What are Some of the Symptoms of Constipation?
One of the hardest parts about having babies is that they cannot talk. They can’t explain to you about what they are feeling, so oftentimes they respond to every unpleasantness with crying and fussiness.
Babies who are constipated will most likely cry uncontrollably because they will be dealing with pains, cramps, and even headaches.
Babies deal with the the same discomfort as adults do when they are constipated. You will be able to tell if your child is constipated if they;
- Haven’t pooped in the last three days (if they are formula fed).
- Haven’t pooped in the last week (if they are breastfed).
- Are straining to have bowel movements
- Have a tight and firm stomach.
- More solid poops (poop should be liquid if they are primarily breastfeed, or formula fed).
What are the Reasons for Baby Constipation?
Baby constipation can be due to several different reasons. Some of the reasons include; insufficient fluids, new foods, low fiber, different types of formula medications, wrong mixture in formula, or something is wrong with mother’s breast milk. The BEST way to resolve a constipation issue is to figure out why the baby is constipated.Let’s Talk About Brown Sugar Water for Baby Constipation
If you think that your baby is constipated then you should talk to your child’s pediatrician. Your doctor will most likely suggest a few natural remedies that you can try on your baby to help your baby pass stool. One of the first things they may mention is sugar water.
According to the instructions if you would like to try to use sugar water in order to help relieve your baby's constipation. Simply put a ½ tablespoon of brown sugar into three ounces of water. Give that to your baby until you see a soft poop.
Doctors may suggest brown sugar water because pure brown sugar will help break through the clogged intestines and will relieve the constipation by cutting through the backed up stool. Once the hard stool is broken through then the soft stool can exit the body.
Although brown sugar water might be something they suggest to help with constipation, sugar should not be a regular solution. Giving pure sugar over a long period of time can rot teeth, or can encourage the baby to only eat sweet things. The doctor will suggest brown sugar water for an immediate and temporary solution.
Doctors will want to get to the bottom of your child’s constipation. Normal and healthy babies should not be suffering with constipation. So, it is best to find the cause of the issues as opposed to continually battling constipation.
For example, if you are feeding your child formula, you might be mixing TOO much powder formula and not enough water. If this is the case, then your child WILL become dehydrated and it will cause constipation. You will want to measure more accurately as opposed to just fighting the resulted constipation.
Other Ways to Help With Constipation in Babies?
Thankfully I have never had to deal with intense constipation for any of my children. They were all very healthy and never had hard stool. However, I have had to deal with babies who needed a little extra help having a bowel movement. I have never tried giving them sugar water, but there were other things that we did try.
Our go-to stool softener was prune juice. We would give my baby 5 ml of prune juice if he hadn’t pooped in a few days and was appearing to be a little bit uncomfortable. The prune juice would usually help soften things up and provide for a natural remedy to bring him more comfort.
If sugar water does not work, try giving your child fruits or vegetables, prune Juice, baby probiotics, suppositories, or pedialyte. You can try all of these ways to help with your child’s constipation.
Conclusion
Having a constipated baby is certainly a struggle. One of the worst moments as a parents is feeling helpless and defeated. I have three children and my worst moments as a mother has been when my babies have been in pain and I feel like I can’t make the pain go away.
If you are dealing with a baby who is constipated then you should certainly try some remedies to help relieve the pain that they are dealing with. You can try eating fruits and vegetables, baby probiotics, pedialyte and natural suppositories.
